The Kansas City Chiefs are a puzzle most teams can’t solve.
The offense is led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has been to the Pro Bowl four times in as many seasons as the team’s starter. Through eight games this season, Mahomes leads the NFL in touchdown passes and passing yards. Tight end Travis Kelce, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and wide receiver Mecole Hardman (who is out Sunday) have all scored at least six touchdowns.
While the Kansas City offense is just 20th in the NFL, that’s been good enough with the NFL’s highest scoring offense dragging teams into shootouts they can’t win.
So what can the Jacksonville Jaguars do in Week 10 to be the third team this season to beat Kansas City? Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire stopped by to answer five questions about what makes the team so dangerous:
The Chiefs offense seems like it's pick your poison. Is there one aspect or a player that's most important for the Jaguars to slow down or stop?
Chiefs Wire: I would say that Travis Kelce certainly makes the offense tick, but it’s pretty rare for a team to slow him down or stop him. I mean, against the Titans a week ago, Chiefs fans would tell you Kelce played his worst game of the season and he still went for over 100 yards receiving. He’s just damn good at finding a soft spot in coverage and creating yards after the catch, even when teams do everything possible to try and slow him down.
Kansas City is No. 1 in points scored, but a few teams (Colts, Bills, Titans) have done alright at keeping the Chiefs offense in check. What did those teams do that others couldn't?
Chiefs Wire: I think it’s all about doing things to get the offense off-schedule. They’re very good when they keep the positive plays flowing, even if they’re just being efficient and matriculating the ball down the field. Negative plays like penalties, tackles for loss and sacks have really been the only thing that can derail this offense. Even then sometimes they’re not enough because Patrick Mahomes is so otherworldly in third-and-long situations.
The Chiefs defense mostly dominated last week. Is that unit headed in the right direction?
Chiefs Wire: Yeah, they definitely are. First-round cornerback Trent McDuffie is finally back in the mix after missing Week 2 through Week 8 with a hamstring injury. He’s looking like the lockdown cornerback that the Chiefs thought they were getting when they traded up for him in the draft. Willie Gay Jr. is starting to settle back in after missing a few games due to suspension. It feels like they’re just now hitting their groove at the right time.
The Jaguars offensive line has done well to protect Trevor Lawrence, but the Chiefs defense has racked up sacks. Who does Jacksonville have to worry about most, aside from Chris Jones?
Chiefs Wire: Everyone. Steve Spagnuolo is addicted to the blitz, which has been both a good thing and a bad thing for the Chiefs’ defense at times. He’ll send linebackers, safeties, and cornerbacks and he’s not afraid to call zero blitzes and put the corners on an island. If I had to pick one player on the defensive line to watch out for outside of Chris Jones, it’s Carlos Dunlap. He’s seeing more playing time with Frank Clark still out due to suspension. He’s also .5 sacks from the 100-career sack milestone, which is something he promised his late father he’d accomplish, so he’ll have some extra motivation in this one to hit that mark.
Who wins and how?
Chiefs Wire: The Jags clearly view this as a measuring-stick game, so I’m expecting their best shot and I’m expecting Doug Pederson to pull out all the stops. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some fourth-down calls, some creative defense and even a fake punt or field goal to try and gain an advantage. In the end, I think Jacksonville doesn’t let Kansas City run away with it, but the Chiefs will force a late error from Trevor Lawrence to close out the game.
Chiefs 34, Jaguars 30
